Farrell returns to the position for which he was recruited

Last August, first-year Lobos offensive line coach Ron Hudson moved sophomore Dillon Farrell from center to tackle. LaMar Bratton, a redshirt freshman, became the starting center.

Sept. 1
Season opener: Southern at UNM, 3 p.m. Radio: KKOB-AM (770)

Farrell, Hudson said, had the frame (6-foot-5, 290 pounds) to play tackle. Bratton, relatively small at 6-2, 275, had physical dimensions more typical of a center.

The objective, Hudson said, was simple: to get the Lobos’ five best offensive linemen on the field.

After last season, Hudson left UNM’s employ after Bob Davie was hired to succeed Mike Locksley as head coach.

Jason Lenzmeier, Hudson’s successor, has precisely the same goal: get the five best O-linemen on the field.

But Lenzmeier’s methods are different. Farrell is back at center; Bratton lines up next to him at left guard.

Farrell, who was recruited to UNM as a center, had made it no secret that’s the position he’d prefer to play. He’s happy.

If Bratton is unhappy, he doesn’t let on.

“I’m never disappointed,” Bratton said. “The only thing I worry about is this team being successful. … I’ll go out there at tackle if it means we’ll be more successful.”

Bratton now is listed at 282 pounds – still small for an offensive guard. He doesn’t care, and, apparently, neither does Lenzmeier. Bratton and true freshman Ryan Adcock, 6-2 and 270, have been working at first-team guard ahead of junior Calvin McDowney (6-3, 350) and sophomore Jamal Price (6-3, 332).

“I’ve always been undersized for a lineman,” Bratton said, “but I use it to my advantage as far as keeping low and being able to ‘squat’ people.

“I just really work hard in the weight room and work on my flexibility.”

Typically, the center is the quarterback of the offensive line – recognizing the defensive alignment and changing blocking assignments accordingly.

That’s why Farrell prefers to play center. Yet, when Hudson moved him to tackle last year, there were no complaints.

“You want the best five guys out there,” Farrell said. “If you don’t, you’re selfish and not helping your team out at all.”

From the beginning of spring practice, there has been no doubt that Farrell and Bratton were among UNM’s five best linemen. In fact, during the spring, because of depth issues, they took every single snap.

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